Black Hat Press was founded in 1989 by Beverly Voldseth when she became sole publisher of Rag Mag, a small poetry magazine. The first four issues of the magazine (originally titled Underground Rag Mag ) were edited and published by Andy Gunderson who sold the magazine to printer Joe Woelfinger in 1983. Woelfinger asked Bevery to edit the magazine for him. In 1988 problems arose in getting issues printed, so Voldseth took entire control of the magazine and started Black Hat Press as the publisher.
Beverly Voldseth Allers was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and attended Augustana College (Sioux Falls) and Bethel College (St. Paul). She worked as a teacher in Goodhue, MN from 1957 to 1959, married Robert "Bud" Allers, and in 1959 decided to stay home and raise her children. She is a poet who also worked as director of the Northfield, MN Historical Society and as coeditor of the Goodhue County Tribune before assuming editorial control of the magazine. She edited and served as publisher for Rag Mag until its final issue in 2001. In addition she published numerous small books and chapbooks from 1990-1998 and published the Minnesota Poetry Calendar from 1997-2001.
From the guide to the Black Hat Press Records, 1982-2001, (University of Minnesota Libraries. Literary Manuscripts Collection, Manuscripts Division [mss])
